Back in 2005, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger backed a series of ballot initiatives that would have limited the power of the state's unions. In response, unions set out to raise millions of dollars to fight the initiative through special assessments on members and also on workers who choose not to join the union but are still required to pay a fee for the efforts that government unions make on their behalf. Unions can only use that money from non-members for political purposes if the workers agree to it, so workers represented by SEIU Local 1000 in Sacramento sued, claiming that the union never bothered to ask for their permission. The union countered that the annual notice it gives to workers on political spending was sufficient and it didn't need to give workers a separate chance to object, but the Supreme Court disagreed. Workers need a separate notice and time to object when a union wants to tap them for more money.
What's so interesting about the case is that many workers covered by SEIU 1000, which is a Sacramento local representing many white collar tech workers, have opted out of being members and having their dues go toward political purposes. The Sacramento Bee estimated a few years ago that as many as 40 percent of workers were paying a so-called "agency fee" required by the state instead of full union dues.
Workers have tried several times to decertify the union, but have largely failed because California's union-friendly rules require that 50 percent of all workers covered by a local must vote for decertification, not merely 50 percent of everyone who votes. And so, as I explained in this post, in 1998 57 percent of those workers voting wanted to end unionization, but that wasn't enough of a margin by California's law. The workers tried again in 2005, collecting 13,000 signatures for decertification, but again failed to get enough votes.
Workers have tried several times to decertify the union, but have largely failed because California's union-friendly rules require that 50 percent of all workers covered by a local must vote for decertification, not merely 50 percent of everyone who votes. And so, as I explained in this post, in 1998 57 percent of those workers voting wanted to end unionization, but that wasn't enough of a margin by California's law. The workers tried again in 2005, collecting 13,000 signatures for decertification, but again failed to get enough votes.
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